CUTS IN
BUDGET

LONDON
(GBR): Sporting bodies across Britain
are braced for barren times ahead after Chancellor George Osborne slashed £300
million (471 million USD) from the budget of the Department of Culture, Media
and Sport (DCMS) but claimed that things were not as bad as they had feared.
Sport England,
which is set to be merged with UK Sport in a bid to reduce costs, was one of
the biggest casualties as the settlement represents a 33 per cent reduction in
its grant in aid revenue funding by 2014/15. Like every other organisation,
Sport England is optimistic that a change in how National Lottery money is
distributed will help soften the impact of today’s announcement. Some good news
came as Osborne said the London 2012 budget of £9.3 billion ($14.7 billion)
will be left untouched but is unlikely to offer much compensation to the areas
where the axe has fallen the hardest. Warning was send to athletes who could
expect a cut in their funding for the Rio 2016 Olympics and Paralympics.
Insidethegames informs. It is unclear how the latest budget will affect
London´s bid for 2015 World Championships in athletics.

TYSON
WILL BE AT NYC MARATHON

MONTE CARLO
(MON): “My big project over the break so far has been to buy a new house here in
Florida.
Since I moved here from Arkansas a few years
ago, I had not really seen Florida
as a real home so I’m trying to change that. My first house here is a place in
Winter Garden. Now I just need to decorate it. I am better at sprinting than I
am at decorating…so this could take a while,” says fast sprinter Tyson Gay
for IAAF. “This weekend I’m heading to Las
Vegas with some other athletes. Usually when we are
together it is on the summer circuit and it is all about track business. This
trip will give us a chance to hang out and just relax. Ok – So I don’t drink
alcohol and I’m not a big gambler. But that won’t stop me from having fun,” he
added. And next trip is planned to New York City:
“Next, I am going to go to New York
City. I gotta check out Haile running the ING NYC
Marathon. There is zero chance I will ever run a marathon but my adidas
team-mate Haile is the man and I want to see him tear up the streets of The Big
Apple. 26 miles
is the longest event in the Olympics and the 100m is the shortest so we don’t
have a lot in common. But Haile has the heart of a lion. I respect that in an
athlete and I respect him.”

FRASER
OK FOR LONDON

KINGSTON (JAM): Olympic and world gold
medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser is safe towards London 2012. The IOC ruling from 2008
about banned athletes says the sanction starts from more than 6 months. And she
got exactly 6 months after suffering excruciating pains from a dental procedure
and using medication to quell pains after the pain killer the meet officials
gave her, proved ineffective. This incident happened before she participated in
the Shanghai Diamond League track meet, in May of this year. Writes
TrackAlerts.

OTHER NEWS

AMMAN (JOR): The Samsung Amman International
Marathon will take place this Friday under the patronage of Queen Rania
Al-Abdullah. A large media coverage will be present since the marathon is one
of the largest events in the Middle East. Last
year winners were David Kiptum of Kenya
(2:20:48) and Tadelech Telila of Ethiopia (2:51:39).

ROMA (ITA): Maratona di Roma,
the country’s largest marathon with over 11,000 finishers in 2010 (March 20
next year), has been awarded the IAAF’s Gold Label certification for their 2011
race, the only race in Italy of any distance to have earned the IAAF’s highest
certification level. In fact, the race is just one of 15 marathons in the world
to achieve the Gold Label. “The news has had an exciting impact on the running
scene here, and it goes without saying that registrations had a boost,” said
Max Monteforte, who manages the elite athletes for the event. He added: “It is
the first time ever for an Italian running event.” Writes RRW.

KINGSTON
(JAM): Jamaica’s
most successful female quarter-miler Lorraine Graham-Fenton received the
national honor of Order of Distinction, Officer Class. Writes TrackAlerts.
Graham-Fenton who holds the 400m national record of 49.30 secs, set at the
Monaco Grand Prix in 2002, won the silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics
behind local girl, Cathy Freeman. She enjoyed an outstanding career which ended
when she retired from the sport after the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki.

LEVERKUSEN (GER): German Pole Vaulter Danny
Ecker started with training for 2011. The 2007 European indoor gold medalist
was thinking this summer when frustrated by injuries to retire. But the
33-years old jumper (593 outdoors and 600 indoors) still wants to know what he
can achieve also in next indoor season. “But I know my best years are behind
and once the end must come,” he was quoted. At 2008 Olympics he achieved
excellent 6th position.

LAUSANNE (SUI): The
International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s Medical Commission has set up an
“Ad-Hoc Research Working Group on Body Composition, Health and Performance” to
address issues related to these topics in weight-sensitive sports, which met in
Graz, Austria, last week. Preventing illness and injury in sport is a
pre-condition to promote training adaptations and thus to enable optimal
performances. However, the health of the athletes can be severely threatened by
current weight loss practices with serious consequences. Among the three groups
of sports is also long distance running. The working group, which is
coordinated by Prof. Dr Wolfram Müller from the University of Graz, Austria,
has been set up for two years and, during this period, will provide a forum for
information exchange, collate normative data, publish a consensus statement and
conduct symposia within the framework of scientific meetings, to name just a
few of the several activities envisaged. Writes IOC.

NEW YORK
(USA):
Three elite athletes were forced to withdraw from the ING New York City
Marathon, New York Road Runners officials announced. Americans Blake Russell
and Antonio Vega, and Italian Rosaria Console will be unable to start the
November 7 race due to injuries.

CHRISTCHURCH
(NZL): Scoop website in New Zealand
writes that sports fans will soon have the opportunity to see many of the
medal-winning Delhi Commonwealth Games track and field athletes in action in Christchurch early next
year with the announcement of 2011 date for the International Track Meet. The
earlier date of 26th February also aligns the event with international meets in
Australia and increases the
possibility of enticing some of the sports elite international athletes over to
compete in Christchurch.

COLORADO
SPRINGS (USA):
Legendary 400 m
hurdler, world record holder and double olympic gold medalist Edwin Moses is
one of two new members on the board of directors for the U.S. Anti-Doping
Agency. Moses joined neurologist Brian Hainline on the 10-person board. Also
retiring from the board is Olympic gold 100 m medalist Evelyn Ashford.

NAIROBI (KEN): Before the 8th Standard
Chartered Nairobi Marathon this Sunday organisers remain optimistic the contest
will see its first sub 2:10 time. Contested at an altitude of over 2000 m, the Nairobi marathon remains one of the biggest
road races competed at high altitude. Writes The Nation. Reigning champions
Moses Kigen (2:10:12) and fresh Commonwealth Games winner Irene Jerotich
(2:28:57) hold the course records. There has been a Sh250,000 bonus price for
anyone who breaks the 2:10 barrier and 2010 might just provide the winner. This
year´s race expects to have over 15 000 runners.

PORTSMOUTH
(GBR): Former champion Jo Pavey has withdrawn because of a bout of sickness
from the 21st Bupa Great South Run in Portsmouth
on Sunday. Writes David Martin. Pavey the 1996 winner from the country’s top 10
miler, has not recovered from a recent attack of influenza and although leaving
it until the last possible moment has accepted she is not in shape to chase the
title she won four years ago. Her withdrawal will see recently crowned
Commonwealth 1500m bronze medallist Stephanie Twell lead the British challenge
against strong overseas opposition. The visitors include 2008 Olympic marathon
champion Constantina Dita of Romania and Grace Momyani the Kenyan winner of the
Commonwealth Games 10000m gold medal in Delhi at the beginning of the month.
Saif-Saeed Shaheen a two-time World Championships 3000m steeplechase title
holder has been added to the men’s field for the 10 miles race over a flat
and fast course.

MONTE CARLO (MON): IAAF started an unofficial
vote to select the 2010 Performance of the Year via the IAAF World Athletics
Club page on Facebook. In the offer David Rudisha 800 m world records as main
contenders. Also more world records of 2010 (Anita Wlodarczyk in hammer,
Zersenay Tades in Half Marathon and 20 km, Teddy Tamgho in indoor triple jump). As
for achievements Jessica Ennis and her double win in Doha
and Barcelona, Mo
Farah´s double from Barcelona,
100 m
race of the year when Tyson Gay was faster than Usain Bolt. As direct results
also add David Oliver´s 12.89 at 110
m hurdles and 205 by Blanka Vlasic at home in Split.

FRANKFURT (GER): Some sports in
Germany
are worried about the planned change about programme sponsorship in German
public TV stations ARD and ZDF. According to this changes in the TV contract
with the state sponsorship will not be allowed after 8 pm and also during
Sunday and bank-holiday days. Excemption should be Olympic Games, Football
World Cup and European Championships.

SHANGHAI (CHN): Hurdles hero
and former world record holder and olympic gold medalist Li Xiang is back in
the spotlight, and this time it’s not because of any injuries. His most recent
project is a graphic novel (an interactive comic book) with Nike.

NEW YORK
(USA): In the November issue
of Sports Illustrated 800 m
world champion Caster Semenya shares details of her gender ordeal after winning
in Berlin. In
an exclusive interview with Sports Illustrated, Features Editor Angus Powers
spoke face to face with Semenya about that difficult ordeal.

INDIANAPOLIS
(USA): USATF President and
Chairman Stephanie Hightower issued a statement related to the former CEO Doug
Logan lawsuit against the US
track governing body. “Former CEO Doug Logan filed a wrongful termination
lawsuit against USATF, which we have anticipated for the last few weeks. USATF
looks forward to the resolution of the lawsuit, which we vigorously will defend
against. The filing of this suit and its ultimate resolution will not affect
USATF and how we serve the sport. Although we cannot speak to the specifics of
pending litigation, we can assure you that USATF is open for business and more
committed than ever to achieving our strategic goals and serving all our
constituents,” the statement says as seen at USATF website.

NAIROBI (KEN): News from Kenyan behind the
scenes. Kenya
plans to bid for young athletes championships. Mombasa could bid to host either the World
Junior Championships in 2014 or the World Youth athletics championship in 2013.
Mumias Sports Complex and Kipchoge Keino in Eldoret are the other two grounds
that will have tartan laid out in 2011. Athletics Kenya will also reintroduce the
cross country jackpot in its season that is starting on November 6 in Kangundo. Another
returning initiative is the Nairobi Diamond Meeting, a one day event planned
for May 8 next year. The last event, Tusker Athletics Meeting, was held in
2008, but controversy over non payment of athletes who prevailed in the
competition, marred it and forced the sponsors East Africa Breweries Limited to
pull out. Nairobi Diamond Meeting will become part of a five-leg series of
evening track and field competition run by the Confederation of Africa
Athletics (CAA). The other legs will be held in Abuja,
Rabat, Johannesburg
and Dakar.

VOLGOGRAD (RUS): Good news for sports persons
in Volgograd Region. The regional Duma representative and world star in
athletics Tatyana Lebedeva worked hard and the Duma confirmed a new law which
will support olympic winners and their coaches after ending of their careers.
They should recieve around 30 000 rubles per month.

BRUSSELS (BEL): The Belgian cross country
circuit is back and healthy. On Sunday the 29th edition of Lotto CrossCup
starts with relays in Gent. Next meetings will
be in Mol (Nov 7), Roeselare (Nov 21), Brussels (Dec 19, also part of IAAF circuit), Hulshout
(January 2, 2011), Hannuit (Feb 13), Dour (Feb 27) and national championships
in Oostende (Mar 13).

FRANKFURT
(GER): German 400 m
runner Niklas Zender (20) is switching clubs and will be member of LG Eintracht
Frankfurt in the future. His new coach will be 1980 olympic winner Volker Beck.
Zender who was World Youth (2007), World Junior (2008) and European Junior
(2009) finalist has a 46.18 personal best. Currently is studying at University of Loughborough
in UK
and trains together with Martyn Rooney in Nick Dakin group. Zender will sit out
indoors and plans to be back for summer.